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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Growing Forward 2: My responces.

Sorry for the long, boring no-picture post today, but I thought this was a really interesting and important thing to be involved in. Even if it took a good chunk out of my afternoon! I do think it's good to write down your thoughts and philosophies from time to time, gives you pause & reason to consider what you feel is really important. Even better to do it in involvement with the civic process and hopefully influence positive changes.
Everything with a little O beside it was my response.

Growing Forward 2 Discussion
document feedback

COMPETITIVENESS: DEVELOPING
DOMESTIC AND GLOBAL MARKETS

A modern agriculture and
food sector is resilient, competitive and sustainable. It depends on
how well the sector is able to compete and adapt to shifting domestic
and international markets. This section focuses on the key areas of
competitiveness and market growth for the sector’s performance,
which are: competing on cost; meeting requirements for product
attributes; maintaining and expanding access to markets; and
enhancing Canada’s performance in markets.

How can the sector use resources
more efficiently?

Allowing small farmers to market
their products directly to consumers.

Making it easier for new farmers
to enter into agriculture.

Focus on diversifying and
creating more farms supplying a range of products, rather then
intense single-output farms.

How do we better use innovation to
improve productivity and reduce costs?

Increase minimum levels or remove
quota requirements for small farmers, they are cost-prohibitive for
new/small growers.

Adding an apprenticeship program
to agriculture, such as has been introduced in the construction
sector.

Ask farmers directly about what
areas need to be considered for R&D.

Shifting focus to increased
diversity on the farm and benefits for environmental
considerations.

What needs to be done for industry
to compete on product attributes?

Encouragement for new and
immigrant farmers.

Focus on growing fresh fruits and
vegetables.

Allowing small farmers to sell
and market directly to consumers.

Better education for adult
Canadians to proper nutrition and the benefits of fresh, locally
grown food.

Increase minimum levels or remove
quota requirements for small farmers, they are cost-prohibitive for
new/small growers.

Provide incentives and
recognition for entrepreneurial and diversified business models.

What needs to be done to improve
industry’s ability to access markets?
(What I wanted to say,
but it was over 500 characters)

Better support for small/new
farmers

Encouraging more small/medium
scale biodiverse farms

Removing minimum quota systems or
greatly increase the minimum quota, for chickens and eggs. These
are cost prohibitive for a new/small-scale farmer, difficult to
police and do not lead to better food security. They reduce the
capacity of small, responsible farmers to sell their product
directly to local consumers.

Remove restrictions on marketing
for small/new chicken and egg farmers. The inability to place a
local online classified ad with out purchasing quota is an
unreasonable restriction, this greatly reduces the market
opportunity for new farmers. More over, it prevents interested
consumers from purchasing the products they want because of
inability to find the local food they desire with out direct
contact with the farmer.

Rules governing all poultry
management for small/new farmers need to be re-examined for their
purpose. Laws about free-ranging birds in a confined area constrain
farmers from reducing their costs for fertilizer and input costs
into the chickens in ways that do not increase food-security.
(So
what I had to put)

Removing minimum quota systems or
greatly increase the minimum quota, for chickens and eggs. These
are cost prohibitive for a new/small-scale farmer, difficult to
police and do not lead to better food security.

Remove restrictions on marketing
for small/new chicken and egg farmers. The inability to place a
local online classified ad with out purchasing quota is an
unreasonable restriction; and it prevents interested consumers from
finding and purchasing the products they want.

How can industry be better
positioned to access global supply chains and improve market
performance?

By assisting new and smaller
farmers by changing regulations, increasing possibilities of local
competition, and allowing small/medium scale farmers to market to
local consumers we decrease the amount of foreign agriculture
products in our country. As well as allowing large-scale farmers
to shift focus exclusively to the export markets.

ACHIEVING ADAPTABILITY AND
SUSTAINABILITY

The purpose of this section is to
stimulate discussion on the goals and strategies to achieve greater
adaptability and sustainability. It is recognized that long term
prosperity for the sector will be achieved by continuously adapting
to a changing environment, and by using sustainable practices in the
management of its risks and activities. In this regard, it is
critical that industry stakeholders play a lead role in defining the
strategies needed to move forward.

Adaptability
refers to the ability and capacity of the industry and its individual
players to anticipate and adjust to changing external environments
and pressures, to manage the associated risks and to take advantage
of new opportunities.

Sustainability is about
the sector’s management of its resource base (financial, human and
natural). It takes into consideration both current and longer term
needs of the sector, consumers and society. The objective is a
resilient, profitable and competitive industry.

What are the risks faced
by industry that could be proactively managed? What are the best
proactive risk management tools?

It is cost prohibitive for new
farmers, with out access to a family farm, to enter into
agriculture.

Providing support to new farmers
will increase the diversity of Canadian foods, leading to an
increase in security and growth in this sector.

More localize food system
provides greater stability and support for new/small-scale farmers.

How can industry (industry
organizations and industry players) play a more effective role in
developing the capacity to adapt and be sustainable?

Financial institutions and
private lending programs need to be encourage to extend support to
new farmers.

We need to preserve farmland
close to big cities for use as farmland, as well as secure access
to clean water and support systems for farmers.

Ensure that reliable, meaningful
and timely information on best practices is available to support
adaptability and sustainability?

Support the next generation of farmers?

(what I wanted to say)

We need more programs in place to support new and
small-scale farmers entering the agriculture sector and growing
their business.

Programs such as implementing apprenticeship programs in a
similar model to those for Red Seal Trade programs.

This must include support and assistance to eduction in
smaller more biodiverse farms as well as conventional farming
methods.

Increasing education opportunities for new farmers which
extend beyond college programs into hands-on training.

Financial programs to help new and small scale farmers with
start up grants and low-interest loans, including for the purchase
of farm land.

Making existing programs more accessible to new and
small-scale farms.

The purchase of farm land, especially close to an urban
consumer base, is cost prohibitive and unattainable for new or
small-scale farms. Incentives need to be put into place that both
give the farmer selling the land a reasonable profit for the value
of the land, and for the purchaser to continue to use the land for
agriculture.

(what is less then 500 characters)

We need more accessible programs in place to support new and
small-scale farmers entering the agriculture sector and growing
their business, including land purchase.

Programs such as implementing apprenticeship programs in a
similar model to those for Red Seal Trade programs. This must
include support and assistance to eduction in smaller more
biodiverse farms as well as conventional farming methods.

How can governments play its role,
recognizing the diversity of situations and business models:

Without impeding adaptation to
market signals?

Without displacing private risk management tools?

Many new, small-scale, and alternative farmers rely on
different inputs then conventional farms, government needs to
remove restrictions and improve access to seeds, technologies and
other inputs.

Incentives for farm support and supply-management sectors to
cater to smaller-scale farmers.

What are the right environmental
priorities for action to achieve longer term sustainability?

There needs to be greater focus
on providing incentives for farmers to practice more
environmentally friendly management techniques.

The creation of
mechanisms/incentives to stop farmland loss and conversion into
housing developments.

Long-term community-driven
investments into local food production.

Encouragement and incentives for
small-scale biodiverse farms close to urban centres.

Improve and expand urban
composting programs and restrictions on non-agrilcultural uses of
pesticides and herbicides.

(less then 500 characters)

There needs to be greater focus on
providing incentives for farmers to practice more environmentally
friendly management techniques.

Long-term community-driven
investments into local food production.

Encouragement and incentives for
small-scale biodiverse farms close to urban centres.

Improve and expand urban
composting programs and restrictions on non-agrilcultural uses of
pesticides and herbicides.

What are the most effective
approaches and tools to adjust to environmental challenges and
opportunities for farms and firms?

Developing an apprenticeship
program for new farmers that focuses both on conventional as well
as alternative agriculture.

How can the broader set of FPT
policies be integrated to achieve a range of adaptability and
sustainability objectives?

Focusing on supporting
small-scale and new farmers both in entering a competitive market
and expanding their businesses.

INNOVATION

Innovation is an important
driver in achieving the two main outcomes of GF2: improving the
competitiveness of the sector; and achieving adaptability and
sustainability.

Over the years, innovation has contributed to
increased yields and disease protection, new products and production
methods, lower production costs and minimization of the sector’s
environmental footprint. The adoption of new business practices and
market models have also allowed the sector to respond to new local
and global challenges.

How can the sector
attract new investment into agriculture?

Providing better
opportunities and reducing restrictions for new farmers.

How can we improve our
collaborations – regionally, nationally and internationally?

By consulting with
small-scale and new farmer representatives as well as large-scale
farmers.

Support and resources
for small farmer-driven groups which support local issues.

What role should
industry, academia and government play to facilitate innovation at
each stage of the innovation process?

By creating mechanisms
for supporting community-driven research at grass-roots level.

How do you see
innovation becoming part of the sector's strategy to address risks?

Greater investment in
local support infrastructure which is more appropriate to the scale
of local agriculture (small abattoirs and processing plants) would
allow a more competitive market which would benefit small-scale and
new farmers.

In your opinion, what
are the key incentives to foster innovation?

Support for
community-driven research & development.

Support for new and
small-scale biodiverse farmer both entering agriculture and growing
their businesses.

INSTITUTIONAL AND PHYSICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE

This section defines
infrastructure and its linkages to the two broad GF2 objectives. It
provides a recap of current challenges and opportunities associated
with infrastructure for the Canadian agriculture, agri-food and
agri-based industry, as raised in the previous sections. They are
reviewed in order to help stakeholders identify priority
areas.

Infrastructure is divided into two categories:

Institutional: Laws and regulations, trade
agreements, standards, and rules that impact production and
marketing of goods and services. Institutional infrastructure also
includes agencies and organizations that support sector
productivity, including industry associations, trade and marketing
agencies, community organizations, and educational institutions.

Physical: Publicly and privately-owned
assets that support the sector, such as information and
communication technologies, offices, research laboratories, water
management, railways and distribution systems.

How could
industry organizations play a role in resolving cross-cutting issues
such as R&D and strategic long-term planning that affect various
members of the supply chain?

Creation of regional
food-hubs and processing plants

The creation of
issue-based roundtables that pull in experts from various sectors
(including small-scale biodiverse farmers) to advise on solving
cross-cutting problems.

What mechanisms and
tools would best enable the sector to respond to and benefit from
public and private standards?

Making labelling
standards more attainable for small-scale and new farmers while
preserving the spirit of the label.

Support for farmers
attempting to fulfil requirements for labelling, such as organic.

What are the regulatory
issues that impact industry competitiveness, adaptability,
sustainability and innovation? And how should they be addressed?

Removing minimum quota
systems or greatly increase the minimum quota, for chickens and
eggs. These are cost prohibitive for a new/small-scale farmer,
difficult to police and do not lead to better food security. They
reduce the capacity of small, responsible farmers to sell their
product directly to local consumers.

Remove restrictions on
marketing for small/new chicken and egg farmers. The inability to
place a local online classified ad with out purchasing quota is an
unreasonable restriction, this greatly reduces the market
opportunity for new farmers. More over, it prevents interested
consumers from purchasing the products they want because of
inability to find the local food they desire with out direct
contact with the farmer.

Rules governing all
poultry management for small/new farmers need to be re-examined for
their purpose. Laws about free-ranging birds in a confined area
constrain farmers from reducing their costs for fertilizer and
input costs into the chickens in ways that do not increase
food-security.

What are the longer
term priorities for investment in systems such as Information and
communications technologies, transportation and water
infrastructures?

Removing restrictions
on small-scale and new farmers for marketing online would foster a
greater interest in participating in ICT.

Reduced reliance on
long-distance transport in exchange for locally-grown foods would
benefit many sectors.

Better environmental
regulation and safety standards for watersheds.

GENERAL COMMENTS

(What I wanted to say)

The future of Canadian
agriculture lies in the hands of new farmers and we are not doing
enough to facilitate entry into farming. Land and start-up costs are
very prohibitive for those not starting with a family farm. With the
increasing average age of Canadian farmers, we need to act now to
stem a tide that will lead to great insecurity and shortages in the
supply of food and non-food farm products.

The ideas of quotas are
out-dated and should not apply to small-scale producers. They make it
cost-prohibitive for new farmers to expand their business with out
significant investment/debt. We needs to support biodiverse
small-scale farms which supply local consumers. This will lead to
greater food-security, innovation and to expand the capacity of
Canada to produce more food for export.

As a Canadian who recently
bought a small farm, it is very difficult for me to start a business
if I can, for instance, only produce 300 meat chickens in a year, can
only sell them at my farm-gate and can only market them with a small
sign on my own property with out purchasing expensive quota. We need
to change these prohibitive regulations; as well as maintain our
food-security standards. We can do this by supporting local
infrastructure, such as abattoirs, to increase competition and reduce
cost for the small-scale farmer. We need to facilitate low-interest
loans and grant programs for new farmers, and encourage suppliers to
offer better prices on start-up equipment for small-scale producers.
We need to support community groups and farming projects. As well as
implement an apprenticeship program which focuses on both
conventional farming techniques as well as alternative ones.

Consumers are growing more
aware of issues of food-security, animal-welfare, and the importance
of sustainable agriculture. To support new farmers, as well as small
and medium-scale biodiverse farms, would be fulfilling the desires
and needs of the Canadian public.

(less then 500 characters)

We need to change
prohibitive regulations on quota; as well as maintain our
food-security standards. We can do this by supporting local
infrastructure, such as abattoirs, to increase competition and reduce
cost for the small-scale farmer. We need to facilitate low-interest
loans and grant programs for new farmers, and encourage suppliers to
offer better prices on start-up equipment for small-scale producers.
We need to support community groups and farming projects.